Unsolicited Advice for Mobile, Tech Titans

A group of analysts offer their sage advice for HP, Apple, Nokia, Cisco and Research In Motion in terms of what strategy shifts, acquisitions and other actions are needed for a successful 2010 and beyond.

The iPhone needs a new battery. HP needs an acquisition. Nokia needs a new design. These suggestions and more were detailed in a whitepaper issued by ABI Research analysts who listed what ideas they'd implement if they were in charge of some of the companies they cover.

HP would do well to consider buying or partnering with little-known Brightcom, said analyst Stan Schatt. He thinks HP needs to make such a move in response to Cisco's pending acquisition of video conference provider Tandberg.

"Doing so would give HP a two-year lead over Cisco when it comes to integrating voice, video and data in a telepresence or video conferencing environment and would open up lots of new users since Brightcom has already solved many of the problems Cisco is currently grappling with," Schatt said.

On the flip side, analyst Sam Lucero has some advice for Cisco. He thinks the networking giant needs to accelerate its entry into the home automation/home energy management market, both by in-house development and acquisitions. "This is a fragmented industry ripe for consolidation that is poised for significant growth over the next two years," Lucero said.

Analyst Jake Saunders had some ideas for both Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. He thinks Apple needs to scrap the embedded battery in the iPhone. Competitors like Motorola's Droid have touted the fact that the batteries in their devices are replicable. "I would like to put the portable battery chargers out of business," he said.